Howard Bailey Securities LLC Reduces Stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Howard Bailey Securities LLC lowered its stake in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,603 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 101 shares during the quarter. Howard Bailey Securities LLC’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $798,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of SPGI. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of S&P Global during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in S&P Global during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in S&P Global during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. increased its stake in S&P Global by 77.1% in the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 62 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of S&P Global by 94.4% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 70 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Stock Performance

Shares of SPGI stock opened at $530.93 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $506.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $506.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $164.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.20. S&P Global Inc. has a 12 month low of $407.69 and a 12 month high of $542.00.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.41 by $0.36. S&P Global had a return on equity of 13.72% and a net margin of 25.80%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.13 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that S&P Global Inc. will post 15.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be paid a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. This is an increase from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 26th. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on SPGI shares. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup began coverage on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on S&P Global from $536.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on S&P Global from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on S&P Global from $605.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $586.85.

About S&P Global

S&P Global, Inc engages in the provision of transparent and independent ratings, benchmarks, analytics, and data to the capital and commodity markets worldwide. It operates through the following segments: Market Intelligence, Ratings, Commodity Insights, Mobility, Indices, and Engineering Solutions.